We have loved the action throughout this impressive NHL season and now it’s the time everyone has been waiting for – playoffs time! It is sure to be a cracking playoffs this season with many high quality teams looking to stop the Tampa Bay Lightning from winning the Stanley Cup for a third time in a row. But before we get to the Stanley Cup final, teams must make it through the first round.
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Look below to find our free NHL picks for the four Round 1 games on today’s schedule!
Pittsburgh Penguins @ New York Rangers – 7.00PM ET
After three overtimes in the first game of this series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers, it was the Penguins who came out victorious, much to the disdain of the New York crowd. But the Rangers have a chance again in front of their home crowd to get the win, and they will need it if they don’t want to go 0-2 before heading over to Pittsburgh.
Marko Nadin
Game 1 of the Rangers vs Penguins series proved that this one will be a tough one and probably a series that will go to the decisive Game 7. The Penguins managed to steal one on the road winning 4-3 in triple overtime in Madison Square Garden. Jake Guentzel scored two goals to lead Pittsburgh to an important win and he will be the key man in Game 2 as well. This was only the second win in the last 7 road games for the Penguins but can be the one that can decide this series even though it is too early to day that.
The New York Rangers had a great start of Game 1 taking a 2-0 lead early in the second period but things turned out for the worse after that point. The Rangers are one of the best defensive teams in the league but they weren’t able to slow down the Penguins in Game 1. They were the team that set the pace of Game 1 but once the second overtime came, they were outplayed by the Penguins which at the end made the difference. The Rangers will have to step up in Game 2 and win. The pressure will be high and unless they handle it well, this playoff series may be done if the Penguins take a 2-0 lead at home.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Under 6 (-112)
Tony Battalio
The Pittsburgh Penguins are coming into this game with a 1 games to zero lead in this series after a thrilling triple overtime victory in game number one. They will be looking to grab the win in game number two to take a 2-0 lead heading back home to Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is a real dark horse team to bring the title home as they are in what is likely their last run at a Stanley Cup trophy. They will look to be a little better on the defensive end in game number two.
The New York Rangers weren’t expected to be here at the beginning of the season. Now it will be interesting to see how they bounce back after getting their hearts broken in game one. They were surprisingly at the top of the Metropolitan division for a decent amount this season. As for the result of game one of this series, I am taking the Pittsburgh Penguins to pick up the victory to go up two games to zero.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins (+140)
Jeffery Thomas
The Pittsburgh Penguins stole home-ice advantage from their Metro Division rival New York Rangers with a thrilling 4-3 win in three overtimes to take a 1-0 series lead. The two teams will be drained after the game lasted 4 hours and 38 minutes, and combined for 151 shots on goal, 76 hits, and 52 blocked shots. The experienced quartet for Pittsburgh of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust led the way in the victory, compiling nine points (4 goals, 5 assists) in 34 minutes of ice time. Malkin scored the game-winning goal 5:58 into overtime past Igor Shesterkin who had 79 saves in the game. That mark gives him the second-most saves in a playoff game in NHL history but he is more concerned with not getting the win.
Game 2 is a must-win for the Rangers who do not want to travel to Pittsburgh in an 0-2 hole. Historically, great goaltending is the key to success in the playoffs and the Rangers still hold that edge by a wide margin. Third-string goalie Louis Domingue projects to be the Penguins’ starter in Game 2 and that is great news for the Rangers who will be able to get better chances at goals against the inexperienced goalie. New York had plenty of success against the Pens in the regular season so expect to see them clean up their defense in Game 2 and bring home this win to even the series at 1 a piece.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-170)
Washington Capitals @ Florida Panthers – 7.30PM ET
Probably the biggest shock of Round 1 so far was seeing the Washington Capitals beat the Florida Panthers, in Florida for Game 1. The Capitals won the first game 4-2 and will be looking for another repeat performance to snatch a 2-0 lead before the series even moves to Washington.
Marko Nadin
The Florida Panthers were the best team in the league during the regular season with a record that is ranked among the best in the league history. The Panthers came into the Playoffs as one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup but things didn’t start well for them as they lost the opening game 4-2 to the Washington Capitals. The Panthers are simply too good of a team not to bounce back after Game 1 loss. They were 34-7-0 at home during the regular season and will tie the score easily in Game 2.
The Washington Capitals are the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference but they are a much better team than what the standings says. They have 9 players that won the Stanley Cup in 2018 and those guys are ready to fight against anybody. That is exactly what the Capitals did in Game 1 against the best team in the league. The Panthers won all 22 regular season home game in which they had a lead going into the final period, but the Capitals did the unthinkable and won the last period by 3-0 in Game 1. They are now off the pressure and that attitude may work well for them in Game 2.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers -1.5 (-104)
Tony Battalio
The Washington Capitals got a surprising win in game number one of this series in Florida, which is one of the hardest places to win in the National Hockey League. Now they will be looking to get a win in game number two of this series and take a two game lead heading home. Washington scraped their way into the playoffs behind a strong regular season from Alexander Ovechkin. As long as they keep playing the way they did in game one they will be a very hard team to beat in the playoffs.
The Florida Panthers were the best team in the National Hockey League throughout the regular season. However, they did not look good in the first game and now they will need to bounce back in the second game of this series if they want to even it up. Florida is very capable of getting the win in game two they just have to play better on the defensive end of the ice. As for the result of this game I am taking Florida to even the series up in game number two.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers (-260)
Jeffery Thomas
The Florida Panthers won the Presidents Trophy this year given to the team that finished with the most points in the regular season but that doesn’t matter at all right now. The Washington Capitals came into their arena and beat them 4-2 to take a 1-0 series lead and to take home-ice advantage away from the Cats. There’s no denying that Florida is the more talented team but as far as playoff experience at the core, that goes all to Washington. A 3 goal third period from the Capitals secured the win, after they trailed 2-1 at the end of two periods. That was stunning because during the regular season the Panthers were 39-0-1 when leading after two periods.
That just goes to show that the playoffs is a whole different animal and if Florida doesn’t bring their A game on Thursday they will find themselves in a world of trouble. Every time these two teams matched up in the regular season at least seven goals were scored and I’m thinking we get back to that trend in Game 2. We fell just short of the over in the first game but holding the Panthers to just 2 goals is something I don’t see happening again in this series. Give me the over in what I expect to be a bounce-back performance from Florida as they fight for their playoff lives.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Over 7 (+114)
Nashville Predators @ Colorado Avalanche – 9.30PM ET
The first game of this series between the Nashville Predators and the Colorado Avalanche was over after the first couple of minutes. In total for the first period, the Avalanche piled on five goals, with the final score being 7-2. The Predators will need to show some fight here, otherwise they may very well lose this first round series 0-4.
Marko Nadin
The Colorado Avalanche are coming into this Playoffs with one goal only and that is to win the Stanley Cup. They have a great team who function perfectly together. All that was shown in the first game of the Playoffs in which the Avalanche defeated the Predators by 7-2. Colorado made the statement in the opening period going 5-0 up which already sealed the deal in Game 1. They are simply the better team between the two and will add another W in the second match of the series.
The Nashville Predators fought for the last Playoff spot by the end of the regular season and they couldn’t not get a tougher first round opponent than the Avalanche. Despite the tough loss in Game 1, the Predators will not give up and they have a reason to believe they can be competitive in the series against the best team in the conference as they defeated the Avalanche in the last three games before this playoff series started.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-365)
Tony Battalio
The Nashville Predators got absolutely destroyed in game number one of this series. They will have to find a way to play much better in game number two if they want to have a chance to win this series. They played good throughout the season and got themselves into the playoffs but they look like they are heading for an early exit. It was five to zero in the first period which shows that Nashville has a ton to work to do.
The Colorado Avalanche were the best team in the Western Conference throughout the second half of the 2021-22 National Hockey League regular season. They started off the season slow but got it together and ended up finishing as the number one seed in the West. They are the current favorites to win the Stanley Cup trophy as well. As for the result of game two of this series I’m going with the Colorado Avalanche to get the win in game two.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-365)
Jeffery Thomas
The series opener was all Colorado as they beat the Nashville Predators 7-2 to take a 1-0 series lead. If there were any worries about the Avalanche who limped into the postseason on a 1-5-1 run to end the regular season, they should have been thrown immediately out the window. By the time five minutes were left in the first period, Colorado had already got their lead up to 5-0 and were well on their way to avenging the loss to the Predators just a few days ago.
The loss of Preds #1 goalie Juuse Saros was felt in a big way and with humble being out again, Nashville shouldn’t feel too good about their chances. The Avs were widely regarded as the best team in the league all year and that performance in Game 1 was a prime example why. The crazy part is they probably will put out a similar outing in Game 2 on Thursday. The goaltending issue for Nashville will continue to be a problem as they lose once again by multiple goals.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes -2.5 (+118)
Dallas Stars @ Calgary Flames – 10.00PM ET
The final game in the NHL today will see the Dallas Stars face off against the Calgary Flames for Game 2 in their first round series. It was a close and hard fought battle in Game 1, with the Flames getting the victory 1-0, with their only goal scored in the first period. The Stars will be looking for a quick bounce back here, in hopes of leveling the series before they get the home ice advantage.
Marko Nadin
The Calgary Flames are one of the contenders that nobody really talks about but they are a tough team that can defeat anybody in a seven-game series and win the Stanley Cup at the end of the season. The Flames scored a goal five minutes into Game 1 and that proved to be enough to win Game 1 against the Dallas Stars. Calgary is the third-best defensive team in the league allowing only 2. Goal per game but were able to keep a clean sheet in the opening game of the series. That will probably not be the case in Game 2 but the Flames are definitely the favorites and will go 2-0 in the series tonight.
The Dallas Stars barely made it to the Playoffs this season and it will be a real miracle if they come out as winners in the series against the Flames. The Stars will definitely need to put a lot more effort in Game 2 since they had only 16 shots in the opening game of the series and it is no wonder that they ended up scoreless. The Stars also failed to score on 5 power play situations and it is pretty unlikely they will have that many opportunities in Game 2.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (-240)
Tony Battalio
The Dallas Stars snuck into the playoffs thanks to a weak Pacific division that allowed for two wild card teams from the Central division. They took a loss in game one of this series and now they will be looking to bounce back in game two. Dallas finished the regular season with a record of 46-30-6 and if they don’t play better they won’t be in the playoffs for long.
The Calgary Flames got hot in the middle of the season. They ended up winning the Pacific division and now have a real shot to win the Stanley Cup trophy. They took a one game to zero lead after their close 1-0 win in game one of this series and now they will be looking to go up 2-0 before heading back to Dallas. As for the result of this game I am going with the Calgary Flames to get the win.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (-240)
Jeffery Thomas
The Dallas Stars will shift their focus to Game 2 after their narrow 1-0 loss to the Calgary Flames in Game 1. The final score clearly shows that Dallas will need to do a much better job at generating offensive chances and it’s really obvious when you see they combined for just six shots in the first and third periods. Both teams had five opportunities on the power play but only the Flames came through cashing in on one, and that proved to be the difference.
The Stars not being able to score with the man advantage shouldn’t have come as a surprise, as Calgary had the 6th best penalty kill in the league in the regular season. The Stars will need to improve on their 5-on-5 play tremendously if they want to stay competitive in this series. I think every game this series will be tightly contested and low-scoring. The Flames only allowed 2.39 goals a game on home ice this season and I really don’t see a way Dallas gets over 2 goals in this spot. That has me leaning towards the under again in what is another toss up game between two teams that will be in for a battle.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Under 5.5 (-110)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
